A/HRC/35/43 71. Currently, the people of Côte d’Ivoire clearly aspire to live in a peaceful country where they can strive for a better future. The restoration of security to government control1 is a positive step towards macroeconomic development. Such a boost would probably not have been achieved without the support provided by international cooperation, which, in the form of UNOCI, has been in evidence on a daily basis for 13 consecutive years. 72. The human rights component of UNOCI consisted of 13 field offices and a central unit based in Abidjan, which made it possible for relevant information on the human rights situation to be reported regularly to the Security Council. The other components of UNOCI contributed to the restoration of security, the rule of law, social cohesion, reconciliation, the establishment of a transitional justice process and dialogue between the parties to the conflict and political representatives. In all these areas, many challenges have been overcome, although a number remain. This is an encouraging sign, richly deserved by the Government and people of Côte d’Ivoire, but vigilance is required in order to ensure that the country remains on the path of progress. 73. From the beginning of his mission, the Independent Expert noted with satisfaction that Côte d’Ivoire had accepted almost all of the recommendations made by the Member States of the Human Rights Council at its universal periodic review. Côte d’Ivoire has also submitted its initial report to the Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/CIV/1) and benefited from the dialogue with the Committee and the ensuing concluding observations and recommendations. The Independent Expert notes that, although the human rights development programme is a cross-cutting issue within all public institutions in Côte d’Ivoire, its implementation is the particular responsibility of the National Human Rights Commission of Côte d’Ivoire and now also of the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Civil Liberties. The Independent Expert welcomes the work of the two institutions and reiterates the importance of national ownership of all human rights issues in the country and, in particular, of the Commission’s assertion of its independence and its status in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles). 74. However, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire must continue to pay close attention to a number of human rights issues. The social protests that affected several regions of the country in January 2017 make such vigilance even more important. The tensions created by such social movements tend to show that the security situation in Côte d’Ivoire remains a fragile achievement that could be quickly undermined. 75. The Independent Expert therefore considers that there are key issues to which the Government of Côte d’Ivoire should give priority. These include the following: (a) Social reconciliation: efforts made regarding redress for victims must continue and intensify, the justice system must continue to carry out its task of maintaining the balance of prosecutions and convictions of those responsible for the crimes committed during the crises that Côte d’Ivoire has experienced in the past, dialogue must remain a constant feature of the political landscape, and a clear vision and strategy for transitional justice should be adopted and implemented; (b) Land reforms: the shortcomings in the regulatory framework in this area are a significant source of conflict and social tension that could lead to community violence. Land reform is an area in which progress is urgently needed and which requires support through technical cooperation. Pending the preparation and implementation of land reforms, early warning mechanisms to detect trouble spots 1 GE.17-08076 Security Council resolution 2283 (2016) lifted the arms embargo on Côte d’Ivoire, while resolution 2284 (2016) set the end of June 2017 as the cut-off date for the mandate of UNOCI. The progress made in the areas of security and reconciliation and the capacity of Côte d’Ivoire to maintain law and order in its territory and manage the social tensions arising out of the violence committed in the past provide the justification for these two resolutions. 15